This month, we’ve been working hard to support our colleagues on the Budget & Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Connie Chan, who have been pouring over the Mayor’s proposed spending plan. As we enter the final week of budget deliberations, we are focused on balancing the budget responsibly and equitably, maximizing public dollars with greater accountability, and restoring cuts to essential life and safety programs.
Some examples of cuts that will have devastating impacts on our most vulnerable communities are those highlighted in the below articles:
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Balancing the budget is an imperative for the functional fiscal future of our city, but cutting from the bottom and eliminating food security and life safety programs is unacceptable and puts families and seniors at risk of falling into homelessness and hunger. Equity must be at the forefront of our deliberations to ensure our economy can fully recover, including our essential workers living in SRO’s and our seniors aging in place.
We can invest in revitalizing our Downtown without gutting successful programs for our most vulnerable, and I’m looking forward to adopting a city budget soon that right-sizes many of these cuts to critical services. Supervisor Connie Chan has done an excellent job of leading this year’s budget negotiations, and I’m grateful for her hard work and that of my colleagues.
See you in the neighborhood,
Aaron |
"Soup with the Supes: Aaron Peskin"
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It was my pleasure to join SF Chronicle producer Cintia Lopez and reporter Laura Wenus on the final episode of their popular podcast, “Fixing Our City” , where we discussed all things San Francisco, from coordinating city resources to address the humanitarian crisis on our streets to an economic recovery that raises all ships. I really enjoyed the opportunity to dig into some of these issues and opine generally about the future of San Francisco (spoiler alert: it’s bright!) and how we get there.
You can listen to the radio chat from my North Beach office, here. |
Updates on Optimizing Public Safety & Health
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For months since the Mayor dissolved the Tenderloin Linkage Center in Mid-Market, I have been urging the creation of an emergency response to the humanitarian crisis on our streets, specifically using our existing local agencies to better coordinate an urgent strategy - and calling on the State and Federal government to do their part, particularly around enforcing the law on their own properties, as well as sharing resources with local law enforcement.
Read my May SF Examiner Opinion piece here.
Since then the Mayor has agreed to stand up an emergency Command Center on Market Street, and I’ve been regularly meeting with the Department of Emergency Management, SFPD and the Department of Public Health. We still have a long way to go, and I continue to be concerned that the Mayor’s focus has been on drug users versus drug dealers, especially given the lack of residential or long-term treatment programs that are eligible for public funding. When low-income residents suffering from deep addictions are not being offered adequate medical treatment or a longterm sustained plan for rehabilitation, they will just end up more deeply mired in the cycle of addiction and harm. In the meantime, drug dealers continue to sell in the open and permanent supportive housing sits empty and vacant. We can and must do better. The Mayor’s willingness to stand up a Command Center over her initial refusal is a step in the right direction - but we have a long way to go.
The Chronicle Editorial Board also has a critique of the Governor’s approach to addressing homelessness here, and it’s worth a read. State laws must change and the decades-long disinvestment in medical, behavioral and mental health facilities must be reversed.
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Spurring Housing Development with Temporary Reduction of Inclusionary Housing Requirements
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In June 2016, former Supervisor Jane Kim and I successfully put a ballot measure before the voters to adjust how private developers contribute to our affordable housing creation. It passed overwhelmingly, and there was widespread consensus that SF must maximize the amount of affordable housing that the private market will feasibly bear, particularly given that we are continuing to overproduce market-rate housing and underproduce affordable housing, based on the City’s own analysis.
Fast forward to a world where the State has increasingly constrained local jurisdiction’s ability to build affordable housing while offering no permanent funding source to fund projects in the wake of the dissolution of the State’s Redevelopment Agency. My 2016 legislation called for a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to work with the City Controller on financially feasible recommendations as the market changes, and we are in a time of development stall-out that needs a little kickstart and incentive.
Today I introduced a temporary reduction in our affordability requirements for private developments in an attempt to spur the financial feasibility of housing development during this period of economy recovery. Working with the Mayor’s Office, the Controller, our TAC and both the affordable and market rate housing developer communities, I hope that these significant but time-limited reductions will serve as an incentive period for developers to come back and get their pipeline projects unstuck.
In exchange for these significant reductions, we will be focusing our united efforts on a March 2024 Affordable Housing Bond, and hope that you will support our efforts to urge the State to identify a permanent funding source for affordable housing in San Francisco. Email my office if you want to be a part of the citywide strategy to build, acquire and rehab affordable housing for our struggling workers, families, seniors and first-time home buyers!
“SF Leaders Propose Temporary Cuts to Affordable Housing Requirements and Impact Fees to Unlock Thousands of Stalled Homes” - San Francisco Business Times
“Proposal Aims to Open San Francisco’s Clogged Housing Pipeline: Will It Work?” - SF Chronicle |
Revitalizing Our Downtown Through Adaptive Reuse
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Today the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted my Downtown Adapative Reuse Legislation , which seeks to incentivize and streamline existing opportunities to convert under-utilized office buildings into housing, arts and light industrial spaces and other mixed-use opportunities in the hope of diversifying the Downtown core, including the historic Union Square neighborhood, which has been primarily leased for retail.
I’ve been meeting with a diverse array of property owners, venue operators, arts organizations and small businesses to assess what the potential is for individual buildings, as well as what partnerships can be made with higher education and cultural institutions. Some recent successes have included finding new homes for Sai’s Vietnamese Restaurant and Don Ramon’s , both beloved legacy businesses that were forced out of their old locations - but now have better opportunities through our collective efforts. We’ve recently sent out a Request for Information to Downtown property owners we think have the best candidates for conversion, and are offering other incentives including Mills Act tax credits. Email my office if you have a property you think would be a good candidate and let’s start brainstorming what we can do!
“New SF Ordinance Would Ease Office Conversions” - San Francisco Business Times
“SF Supervisor Has Plan to Save Downtown San Francisco From Doom Loop” - SF Standard
“SF Has A New Plan to Add Housing Downtown and Revitalize Union Square - Here Are the Details” - SF Chronicle
“San Francisco Issues Formal Information Request to Identify Office Conversion Projects” - San Francisco Business Times |
SFMTA Delays Late-Night Parking Meter Program Until Economic Impact Analysis is Conducted
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In response to an overwhelming outcry from constituents citywide on the negative impact to small businesses and working families should SFMTA move forward hastily with a well-intentioned but uninformed plan to extend parking meter hours on weeknights and weekends, I introduced a Resolution directing SFMTA to delay its plan until the City Controller and the Chief Economist could present the Board of Supervisors with a researched economic impact analysis, with a special focus on small businesses already struggling to recover with razor thin margins in a post-pandemic San Francisco.
Although we continue to work to address a SFMTA operating deficit, we can’t balance this budget on the backs of recovering businesses - particularly as we ask the State to do its fair share to fund essential transit in San Francisco. Thanks to all of you who rallied to stave off this increase and delay implementation of this program until the economic impact realities are known.
“Restaurants Fight Back Against SFMTA Parking Meter Extensions” - SF Chronicle
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Resources for Affordable Housing & Small Businesses
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2023 Educator and First Responder Down Payment Assistance Loan (DALP) Program
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The Educator and First Responder Down Payment Assistance Loan Programs (EDALP/FRDALP) are now available, offering up to $500,000 to eligible first-time homebuyers. The program is currently open until July 14, 2023, so time is of the essence to apply. Since this program has a small application window, we suggest taking immediate action to not miss out on this incredible opportunity.
Learn more about this exciting program by signing up for a free MOHCD Program Orientation Here or contact Home Ownership SF to learn about their resources. |
Accessing Small Business Resources at SF's One-Stop Permit Center
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My staff and I had the pleasure to tour the new SF Permit Center , located at 49 Van Ness Avenue, where the City has co-located all the essential permitting agencies that touch our small businesses. Thank you to OSB Director, Katy Tang for taking us through the different stations of the permitting process and acquainting us with this new streamlined and centralized approach to permitting. Small business applicants can get the benefit of every knowledgeable staffer all in one place, including staff from the Office of Small Business, the Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Division, SF Public Works, SF Planning, SF Fire Inspections and the Department of Building Inspections.
The San Francisco Office of Small Business offers a set of resources for both new and existing businesses. For new businesses, there is access to starter guides, information on registering a new business, help to recruit employees, navigate permits and their fees, and receive exemptions to plan requirements. For existing businesses, get help recruiting employees, updating and/or renewing your business information, managing your registration account, and get information on becoming a city supplier. For more services, news, and resources, click here.
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Assessing our City’s One-Stop Permit Center
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How Should We Spend SF's Sales Tax for Transportation Projects?
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| Share your input on what the city must prioritize for the next five years to enhance transit improvements by filling out the Prop L Survey. The deadline is June 30, 2023 . Prop L, the Sales Tax for Transportation projects, was approved by voters in 2021 and helps delivers funding for neighborhood level infrastructure investments, transit maintenance enhancements, street improvements, freeways, paratransit and overall services. Here is the link to the Prop L Transit Expenditure Plan Fact Sheet. The survey may also be filled out in Chinese, Spanish and Filipino. |
Neighborhood Going's On & Announcements
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After Dark: Ecological Futures at Exploratorium
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| Check out After Dark: Ecological Futures at the Exploratorium for an adventurous night on June 29 starting at 6:00pm to explore creative ideas through an immersive experience looking at the intersection of art, science, and technology. After enjoying this adventurous venue, you may stop by one of the nearby locations to grab a bite while supporting our local economy and having an auspicious time. |
Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance Community Mtg w/ Board President Aaron Peskin
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Join us at the next Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance meeting, where we’ll be giving a neighborhood update on JULY 10TH, from 7:00PM to 8:30PM at 668 Post Street. This is a members-only event, so please do register and join this burgeoning neighborhood group, who are working hard to advocate for everything from safer and cleaner streets to a new park in Lower Nob Hill. We’ve also got a July tree-planting event coming up.
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The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Become San Francisco's Official Animal!
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| Congrats to my colorfully plumed neighbors, the Wild Parrots, on their legislated designation as the official animal of San Francisco . In addition to the joy that they bring to San Franciscans from Bernal Heights to Telegraph Hill, they are apt representatives given their resiliency, diversity and close social connetions to their community. You can read the full draft of the legislation here- we are thrilled that they could bring some much-needed levity and good news to San Franciscans at a time where we all need a feel-good moment. |
PRIDE Goes Back to Its Roots in District 3!
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Another incredible, inclusive and inspiring People’s Pride March this past weekend, as community activists, elders, families and BIPOC leaders united at the original birthplace of Pride in Polk Gulch to highlight that Pride is more than a party – it’s a call to action. Juanita MORE!, Alex U. Inn and many other speakers highlighted the troubling and angering news from across the nation as queer communities and youth continue to be under attack. Their focus on keeping the fight alive was inspiring.
SF Standard: “People’s March Harks Back To San Francisco Pride’s Early Days” |
It is truly a pleasure to introduce you to my intern, Cole Tao, a youth activist and student at Lick-Wilmerding High School. She recently started working in my office and has relayed her excitement to learn more about local politics, as well as how youth can make an affect change. She is the captain of her school's girls water polo team. You can probably catch her swimming in San Francisco’s Aquatic Park, despite the cold. She is focused on creating change in her community and recently co-organized an SF LGBTQ+ youth walkout in solidarity with youth from Florida and Texas.
She shares some insights on what inspires her to engage civically: “I draw strength from my beliefs and my heart and invest time and effort into things I am passionate about. One thing I am passionate about is youth civic engagement. I want to use this position to represent youth voices in San Francisco and gain more insight on how constituent concerns are met. Specifically, how the concerns of the people impact the greater decision process. I’m looking forward to learning more about this City and County’s governmental system.” |
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Board of Supervisors | District 3 | Aaron Peskin
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